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Saturday, October 20, 2012

I was going to do an update today, but I still have not quite got the latest info I need to update everyone accurately. However what I do know is there is a small amount of cameras shipping again, but its slow because some of the testing software needed to qualify sensors before they ship to us was completed later than we expected. However things are starting to move. I hope to have more info next week.The supplier is quite upbeat though and expects a lot more sensors next week to ship so that is good.

The camera is very lightweight yet feels comfortable on the shoulder. Lightweight means you can easily mount it on your existing HDSLR accessories like a slider or tripod.Needless to say that by having a shoulder mount video camera the need for a rig and external audio device is eliminated.The most striking weakness of this camera is the absent of a built-in ND filter.I would love to go out with one of the camera engineers and film outdoor in normal lighting conditions and see his response to the footage while shooting without ND filter.

I was really positively surprised that the C100 “feels” like a C300 … they used the same material and didn’t compromise on that at all. Also, the same sensor … and all that in an even smaller form factor. Not bad at all. Sure, inferior codec and no HD-SDI, but to be honest, it will be enough for a lot of people! Especially considering there’s clean 4:2:2 out from the HDMI port. One big advantage over the C300: The C100 has an internal microphone in the attachable grip!

While much of the popular press may focus on the jump to 4K, we wanted to flag the incredible shift from being a ‘straight to YouTube’ camera to a camera that now also offers a very real alternative for those wanting to intercut GoPro footage – a pipeline that assumes there will be grading, that there will be post, and outputs from the camera in a format that lets you maximize both.

There will always be a need and room for craft, lens selection, exposure decisions, shooting angle, camera movement etc. AND NECESSARILY SO! But for most of the public out there (and many pros!), the GoPro is the perfect introduction to the value of simply capturing a moment – AND ENJOYING THE MOMENT rather than being stressed about framing, sharpness, focus distance etc. let alone worrying about damaging the camera or having it stolen…

Show Own Color | kitsuney | Vimeo
Interesting slow-motion video shot with the Sony NEX-FS700. Some of the color looks off though; not sure if that's intentional or not...

An intuitive interface allows precise control for plotting (and animating) all the essential aspects of shooting your scene in a classic top-down diagram style. A limited (single-scene-at-a-time) release is available for free, and the $20 Pro version has some key perks too. Read on for the intro video and a more detailed list of Shot Designer’s features.

Bokeh is one of the more misunderstood concepts in optics. The term was coined for photographic use in 1997, from the Japanese word boke, meaning blur or haze. In recent years, “bokeh” has been simplified to refer to how the shape of a lens’ iris is rendered in out-of-focus points of light in an image, such as streetlamps at night. Much is made of how many iris blades are used in a lens and how round the iris aperture is as it is stopped down, but these are only minor aspects of bokeh.

The power of SpeedGrade lies in the way it allows you to build up color corrections and creative looks as grading layers. Because grading layers are non-destructively applied in SpeedGrade, you can play around to your heart’s content until you get your footage looking just right.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Oscar nominated film editor Tim Squyres, A.C.E. will appear on stage on behalf of Avid. Squyres has edited all but one of Ang Lee's films, including CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON; SENSE AND SENSIBILITY; THE ICE STORM, and the soon to be released LIFE OF PI. In addition, Squyres has edited SYRIANA, GOSFORD PARK and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, to name a few.

Registration is just $10, or $7 for Students. But until midnight tonight there are two promo codes available:

BOSCPUG48 to RSVP as General Admission for only $7.00 online (normally $10.00)

STUDENT48 to RSVP as STUDENTS/FACULTY for only $5.00 online (normally $7.00)

For myself and what I shoot the C500 makes a lot of sense and does not lock me into a codec on the back end like the options from Red do. I want a clean uncompressed RAW 2K and 4K output that I can record to whatever codec I choose and the C500 offers me that latitude. It is a huge consideration when making an investment like this and it looks beyond the needs of today which is why my wife and I got one.

Fox Sports is already using a 4K camera as part of its “A-Game” NFL telecast retinue. The excess resolution (to a 720p production) supplied by the Sony F65 digital cinematography camera is critical to the sports network’s “Super Zoom” feature.

For film work and cinema presentations 4k and 8K are perfect but films do get bigger budgets to accommodate the lengthy expensive editing workflows, I also agree the better the picture you start off with etc. the better the end result, even downscaled onto SD but there comes a limit to primary quality like 4K hampering your workflow and extra expensive hardware needed to monitor a 4K picture.

Many vendors were reluctant to modify Arri Alexa cameras to see infrared due to warranty issues. Tolton found a vendor in Utah, known for modifying cameras for NASA . A converted camera was purchased and after exhaustive testing and calibration, his concept came to life.

Looking at the VG900, our readers are speculating on whether you will make a full frame E-mount stills-oriented camera. What can you say to them?MW: The VG900 demonstrated that the E-mount lens mount can support a full frame sensor. Building the lenses that can cover a full frame imaging circle at that flange back distance is another matter. We'll see.

In the video below I run down what is included in the Que Audio Sniper PRO kit and show you guys a measurement of the audio captured. The frequency analyzer is displaying the frequency response of the Que Audio shotgun microphone’s range in hertz.

The idea was to gaff tape the camera to a boxing glove to get direct contact POV shots at 120 fps. The headband mount worked great for the reverse angle. The Sony Action Cam held up just OK for interior shots. Even though it felt like we had enough light we needed tons more. It works great for its intended use, outdoor extreme sports with lots of light.

Unlike digital photography, there are not many options available to fix a video after a field shoot. In this episode, learn different ways you can prevent focus or exposure problems by adding extra equipment to help. Items such as a camera rig, a reliable viewfinder, and a field monitor will help you to avoid problems that can not be fixed in post.

Shane’s post illustrates, among other things, the flexibility of the Two-Shot (pictured above). He emphasizes that for the most part, his preferred angles of attack are simply variations on “classic frames” honed to his aesthetic tastes — and whatever the scene might call for. He says that a good foundation for developing a trademark visual sensibility lies in the fundamentals of framing.

If you're working on a commercial shoot, take some time to watch some of the commercials currently playing on television. How are they pitching their products? What's their message? Chances are that they're trying to convince you that their product will change your life if you give it a chance. What visual flourishes are they using to sell that idea?

Thursday, October 18, 2012

The C300 is a fantastic camera; I wouldn’t have gotten one if it wasn’t. But like all cameras, it has its weaknesses. One minor one occurs when you blow out highlights. The edges can look sharp and aliased (sawtoothed), and can sometimes show green fringing. This is different from the chromatic aberration that’s present to some degree in all but the best lenses, but it remains to be seen if it’s entirely unrelated.

#TheNewF Webchat | Sony | Flashbook
They haven't announced 'it' yet, but they have announced a web chat!

Due to daylight savings adjustment, the scheduled time in the chat client below may not appear correctly. The chat will take place at the following times: Tuesday 30th October - 12noon San Francisco, 3pm New York, 7pm London, 8pm Paris / Berlin.

UK Digital colour correction studio Mytherapy have released a teaser of their comparative camera test to show how the Sony F65, RED Epic and Blackmagic Cinema Camera measure up when capturing skin tone in a controlled studio environment.

So I’m editing a series of testimonial videos I shot last week. I was shooting with two cameras: one set as a close-up, the other a wider shot.I bring up the angles in my NLE and I see the oddest thing. The subject in the close-up is looking in one direction (left to right) but the in the wide shot he’s looking right to left. This totally trips me up.

The HERO3 comes in three configurations: White Edition, Silver Edition, and Black Edition. Most exciting is the Black Edition, which features 4K video recording at 12fps and 2.7k footage at 30fps. It also includes built in wi-fi with a remote. For those not interested in the low frame rate, 4k video and wi-fi remote, all versions of the GoPro HERO3 can be controlled via iOS or Android devices.

So what’s new? The top model, the HERO3 Black Edition, is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the HERO2 with a $399.99 price tag. Its image processor is twice as fast, and the camera can capture 4k video at 15 frames per second, 2.7k video at 30 frames per second.

What’s troubling to me is that digital has eclipsed film before it has eclipsed it artistically. I will be accepting of digital when it is the equal of film; there’s something wrong with technology that moves you backward rather than forward.

What Pfister is saying makes sense. Yes, technically, every shot in a movie should go toward servicing the story. Unfortunately that's not always the case with really big films that attempt to sandwich in product placement while fulfilling talent requests from A-list actors, not to mention the hundreds of notes a director might receive from the studio and producers.

Fortunately, not long before starting the book, I had the pleasure of meeting Patrick Inhofer, owner/colorist of Fini TV, and the man behind the successful Tao of Color training site. Patrick was the perfect addition to the project. He is the nicest guy, and it was a real pleasure to work with him. But most importantly, his collaboration infused the book with advanced grading techniques and practical advice on everything from setting up your grading suite to managing clients.

PUB NIGHT: Thursday, October 18, Visual Effects for the Independent Film with Brickyard VFX’s Dave Waller and Geoff McAuliffe

6-8pm at Rule Boston Camera with Pizza and Beer

With 25 years of shared experience on features big and small, Visual Effects Artists, Dave Waller and Geoff McAuliffe pull back the curtain – the green screen curtain – revealing methods for achieving a literal “bang for your buck” while generating seamless visual effects. Contrary to big-budget Hollywood films with big-budget effects, you’ll learn, in a few easy steps, how to create convincing effects that will enable you to tell your story. Chock-full of tips and tricks, anecdotal stories and shots gone bad.

This seminar costs $50 (or $45 is you are a member.) I went to the previous session on Editing and Post Effects and it was really good.
Join us for Coffee & Bagels at 9:30 AM. Seminars from 10:00 AM – Noon

Monday, October 15, 2012

Everyone’s favorite little action camera finally got the long awaited 24p update last week. GoPro shipped Protune which means your GoPro Hero2 is only a firmware update away from a higher bit rate and 24 frames per second. The Protune news is buried down in the press release about news of the GoPro app.

A Chinese company named Team Tilta has designed a new camera rig system that looks like something out of a Terminator film. On par with other top manufacturers in its build quality, its price point kills the competition. And it’s not just a flesh wound, its currently HALF the cost of many rivals! The manufacturer claims their quick release baseplate is made of aircraft grade aluminum. It is solid. It comes with a shoulder pad and a heavy duty VCT-14 compatible quick release shoe that works on standard broadcast ENG tripod plates. Quick locks mount the baseplate to the included 15mm front rails.

Light is the foundation of photography, so when taking portraits, it’s essential that you not only understand how the light is working, but also how to manipulate it to create the desired mood and atmosphere of the shot. We don’t have time for a physics lesson here, but I’ll aim to give you some hints and tips on how to approach lighting your portrait subjects in the most effective way.

due to a project wherein a large number of Scarlets were needed to simultaneously shoot one shot, there are now a limited number of these cameras available with one minute or less of record time on them for $7,100 (that’s $4,800 off if you’re counting beans).

Editing in Photoshop is perfect for short videos captured on your DSLR camera. In this exclusive AdoramaTV video, you'll learn tips on how to set up a timeline complete with layers pallet, editing tools menu, and adjustment layers. See how to trim, ripple, fade, render, and export.

In this 17th episode of the NeedCreative Podcast, your co-hosts Paul Antico and Jason Sidelinger were joined via Skype by very special guest Joe Simon of The Delivery Men and Joe Simon Wedding Films to discuss in depth cinematic event filmmaking. Joe has been featured in many articles and awards (and is a Kessler Shooter) and is a great person to hear from.

Professional Video is one of the main focus enhancement for the 5D Mark III catering the needs of the cinematographers, television production professionals and independent filmmakers. The 5D Mark III can capture 1080p Full HD video at 24p (23.976), 25p, and 30p (29.97) fps; 720p HD recording at 60 (59.94) and 50 fps; and SD recording at 30 (29.97) and 25 fps. It also includes new H.264 video compression formats - intraframe (ALL-I) compression for an editing-friendly format and interframe (IPB) compression for data storage efficiency.